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Festivals in the spring
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(7 February 2008)
Chinese New Year is a major festival which is celebrated
around the world by the Chinese community. It is a time
to reunite families and gifts are made to young people.
It occurs around mid-February.
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Chinese Calendar
The Chinese calendar has twelve or thirteen months
of 29-30 days each year, following the movements of
the moon. The months are numbered (not named)
and a thirteenth month is inserted every three or four
years. Each year is associated with one of the
twelve animal signs.
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(2 March 2008 in UK)
Mother's Day or Mothering Sunday is a Christian celebration
which occurs on the fourth Sunday during Lent. Most churches
have a special service on this Sunday, the name originates
from a time when people used to return home to their Mother
Church for this special service. In England it is a day when
both adults and children say thank you to their Mothers
cards and a gifts, very often of flowers are given.
In France a similar celebration takes place before the last
Sunday in May, it is called Fêtes des Mères
when everyone can give their Mother gifts.
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(5 February 2008)
Mardi-Gras is mainly celebrated in Roman Catholic countries
and communities. Translated it means "fat Tuesday",
and is correctly the day on which there is a last opportunity
to indulge in food and drink before Ash Wednesday and the
start of the fast of Lent, the 40 days leading up to Easter
when Christians commemorate Christ's fasting in the wilderness.
Mardi-Gras was originally one of a series of carnival days
but it now usually refers to not just one day but  several
days of festivities. In England Mardi-Gras is known as Shrove
Tuesday and it is celebrated by the traditional making of
pancakes. In many towns and villages people take part in pancake
races, where they race carrying a frying pan tossing their
pre-cooked pancake in the air.
The word carnival comes from the words 'Carne vale', which
means 'farewell to meat' and is used to describe the festivities
around Mardi-Gras. In Brazil there is a world famous carnival
in Rio de Janeiro, where people party in the streets and there
are magnificent parades of with floats, and people wear spectacular
costumes and dancing.
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(22 March 2008 - last day)
Holi is a very colourful and exuberant festival, it is celebrated
on the day of the full moon in March in the month of Phalguna.
It marks the end of winter when the harvest has been gathered
in. The night before Holi, bonfires are lit in the hope
that they will get rid of any evil spirits, and to remind
people of Prahlad who was led into a bonfire by the wicked
Holika, after whom this festival is named. Prahlad survived
the fire because God looked after him but Holi perished, thus
proving that good triumphs over evil.
The morning after the bonfires are lit, great fun is had
when everyone sprays each other with coloured water.
Special water squirters can be bought, although plastic bottles
and bike pumps are also used to squirt the water which has
been mixed with bright coloured powder called gulal, so that
everyone ends up highly coloured. The festival ends
in the afternoon with families spending time together.
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(23 March 2008 - Easter Sunday)
 Easter is a Christian festival which commemorates
the resurrection of Jesus Christ, corresponding to Passover it is
observed on a variable Sunday, in the months of either March
or April. Gifts of edible eggs (usually made of chocolate)
are sometimes given on Easter Sunday. Many groups working
with children will celebrate by having an Easter Hat parade,
with hats usually based around a theme of chicks,eggs, rabbits
and spring flowers.
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(20 March 2008 - first day)
This lively Jewish festival held in the Spring, celebrates
the story of Esther, Queen of the Persians. Ester saved
her people from destruction by Haman, the Kings chief
advisor who had ordered that all the Jews should be killed.
The story of Esther, which is taken from the bible, is read
aloud and whenever the name Haman is mentioned a loud
noise erupts when the people try to drown out the sound of
his name. Children in particular enjoy enacting the
story, booing, and hissing and stamping their feet and shaking
rattles called greggers when Haman appears.
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Held in early Spring, this is the most famous of Japanese
festivals. The beauty of the Cherry blossom trees, wild
ones in particular, is celebrated and the tradition is an
ancient one. Although there is no specific religious
significance to the festival, many of the finest examples
of Cherry Blossom can be found around Shinto Shrines or holy
mountains.
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